Upsurge in funeral costs exacerbates people’s ordeal

RAWALPINDI:

Amid unprecedented inflation and lack of government oversight, arranging funerals for the departed ones has become an ordeal for citizens in times of grief.

The ever-worsening economic situation exacerbated mainly by political instability has caused the total cost of a basic category burial to reach Rs22,050.

Similarly, the cost of the second category burial has increased to Rs24,550 and the cost of the third category has increased to Rs28,000 to Rs30,000.

Crushed by the heavy-handedness of day-to-day affairs, citizens lament that even death has become a luxury in these testing times.

The funeral items sellers in the open market have jacked up the price of shrouds enormously.

Those belonging to middle-income and lower-income families turn to friends and relatives to perform burial rites by borrowing money.

Rather than mourning the death of their loved ones, low-income families look more worried about the funeral expenses of their departed loved ones.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2023.